Westwood Station campaign comes to an end

The Canton letter campaign regarding Westwood Station came to a close Thursday.

Jeff Mucciarone

The Canton letter campaign regarding Westwood Station came to a close Thursday.

Oct. 25 was the final day for public comment regarding the final environmental impact report submitted for the Westwood Station development. The Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office now must sift through piles of commentary from Canton residents concerned with the size and impact of the project.

Ian Bowles, Secretary of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, is expected to render a certificate on the 4.5 million square foot project on Nov. 1.

Officials were pleased with the outpouring of support at last week’s public meeting at the Canton Public Library, which allowed residents and officials to air concerns with the $1.5 billion project, which when complete, will include residential units, along with retail and office space. The project would span 135 acres, one of which is in Canton.

“It was a tremendous public turnout,” said Selectmen Chairman Robert Burr, who said the special meeting drew more than 140 people. “It was certainly inspiring to us.”

At the meeting, Canton officials circulated a general letter to be signed and sent to Bowles’s office. Doug McGarrah of the firm Foley Hoag, which was hired by Canton to help deal with Westwood Station, said the public comment would definitely have an impact on Bowles’s decision.

State Rep. William Galvin, D-Canton, said he was taking the comments he received and attached them to his own testimony, which he said he would hand deliver to Bowles’s office Thursday.

McGarrah and traffic analyst Gary McNaughton said they were developing commentary on the impact report and expected a draft to be ready to circulate to selectmen Wednesday, with a final draft ready to be delivered to Bowles’s office Thursday.

Residents have been concerned with a proposed highway off ramp from I-95 north onto Dedham Street in Canton. In conjunction with the project, developer Cabot, Cabot & Forbes agreed to fund the construction of the ramp, which would provide drivers with access to the development. Canton residents fear the ramp will cause further congestion on local roadways that are already filled to capacity, especially during the evening commute.

While Jay Doherty, President of Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, has said the ramp will actually alleviate gridlock at most of Canton's intersections, he has acknowledged the ramp would increase traffic on Dedham Street.

Doherty has said the ramp will keep drivers, who might hop off I-95 onto Neponset Street, on the highway longer, thus freeing up many local intersections in and around Canton. He has also said his company remains open to mitigation with Canton.

Burr and other Canton officials, including Galvin met with the state Executive Office of Transportation last week. The office still maintains Dedham Street is the most viable option for the highway ramp, Burr said.

Despite the office’s stance on the ramp, selectmen will continue to challenge it, Burr said.

“We need to be prepared to go the extra yard,” Galvin said, adding that might mean the courtroom.